The summers of 1939, 1961 and 1967 were the hottest ever in Coeur d'Alene

Several subscribers have asked me recently about exceptionally hot summers like the one Randy Mann and I are predicting for 2010 in Coeur d'Alene and the rest of the Inland Empire.

The warmest summer season in the last 116 years since the beginning of regular local weather record-keeping in 1895, occurred 43 years ago in 1967. I remember it well.

The average daily maximum reading that blistering summer was an incredible 9 degrees above normal at 90.8 degrees between June 21 and September 23, 1967, in Coeur d'Alene.

There were 16 afternoons in 1967 with scorching temperatures at or above 100 degrees in town. There were 45 days with 'Sholeh' readings of 90 degrees or higher. By comparison, Randy and I are forecasting just 2 or 3 afternoons this upcoming summer season near or above 100 degrees and approximately 25 to 30 days of 'Sholeh' readings at or above 90 degrees in the Coeur d'Alene region. The 116-year normal is one afternoon near the century mark and 21 days in the 90s between June 21 and Sept. 23.

The second hottest summer season on record took place in 1961. That sweltering three-month span saw 15 afternoons in Coeur d'Alene at or above 100 degrees. There were a total of 43 days at or above the 90 degree 'Sholeh' mark, pretty warm indeed.

The most intense summer heat wave on record since 1895 occurred from Aug. 2-5 in 1961. On Aug. 4, 1961, the mercury peaked in town at an all-time record egg-frying 109 degrees. It was 112 degrees in the Spokane Valley!

In third place in the all-time hottest summer ever standings in Coeur d'Alene is 1939, three years before this climatologist's birth in 1942, likewise a very hot summer.

There were a dozen afternoons during that pre-World War II summer with triple-digit temperatures. An additional 25 afternoons that season reached 90 degrees or above in town.

Our hottest July day on record in Coeur d'Alene was a toasty 108 degrees on July 28, 1939, just a degree cooler than the all-time high of 109 degrees on Aug. 4, 1961, as mentioned previously.

One farm northwest of Coeur d'Alene reported an unofficial maximum reading of 114 degrees that same oven-like afternoon. It was 120 degrees on July 28, 1939 at Walla Walla, Wash.!

Believe it or not, in the past two decades of supposed 'global warming,' we haven't seen a single summer season hot enough to be listed in the 'top 10' in the all-time heat parade. Most summers, in fact, have been cooler than normal. For example, the summer of 1991, following the volcanic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines, didn't even see one day above 89 degrees during the entire season.

Our hottest summer since 1990 occurred in 2006, which ended up in 16th place in the heat standings since 1895. That torrid summer had 38 'Sholeh Days,' well above the 23-day norm. There were four straight days of 100-degree plus heat from July 21-24, 2006, peaking at 104 degrees on July 23.

Will this summer finally crack the 'top 10' for extreme heat? I doubt it, but anything is possible in the cycle of WIDE WEATHER 'EXTREMES.'

NORTH IDAHO WEATHER REVIEW AND LONG-RANGE OUTLOOKS

The first week of May 2010 hardly displayed even any faint signs of global warming in the region. It was one of the coldest such periods since at least the inception of local area regular weather record-keeping in 1895.

The average high temperature of 52 degrees was 13 degrees below normal in Coeur d'Alene, more typical of mid-March than early May. The average low reading was 31 degrees, again well below normal for so late in the spring season.

Record cold temperatures and hard freezes that killed tender uncovered plants greeted early-risers on "Cinco de Mayo" last Wednesday morning. Snow flurries were seen later in the day.

It was a bone-chilling 22 degrees on May 5 near Twin Lakes. Kellogg, Athol and Hauser Lake each reported 25 degrees. Locally in Coeur d'Alene, we observed 26 degrees at 5:40 a.m. on Wednesday, which broke the previous record for the date of 27 degrees nearly a half century ago in 1962.

There were more flurries again early Thursday, but they quickly melted when they hit the relatively warm surfaces. Some of the snow did stick, however, this week at the higher elevations above 4,000 feet. The much heavier than normal April and May snowfalls in the nearby mountains will help both our water situation and the forest fire picture later on during an expected hot summer and early fall period.

In answering a Press subscriber's question, the most snowfall ever measured in Coeur d'Alene on any May day since at least 1895 was two inches on May 6, 1950, this climatologist's eighth birthday. There have been 37 days in May since 1895 with 'traces' of snow, including this past Thursday.

Longer term, I'm still looking for the arrival of warmer and drier weather conditions in the Inland Empire, including North Idaho, by May 14-21, as high pressure builds into the region. But, then there will be more showers and cooler temperatures until another stronger warmup arrives shortly before the Memorial Day weekend in late May. We may see more strong winds at times, but nothing like the damaging 50-mile-per-hour plus gusts of this past week that downed power lines and hundreds of trees, plus ripped off roofs.

As previously mentioned, I'm still expecting a hot and dry summer of 2010 with lots of warm 'Sholeh Days' for all sorts of outdoor activities, including the late August North Idaho Fair and Rodeo.

But, pray that we don't see more damaging winds and, especially, disastrous forest and brush fires. We certainly don't want to see another 1910!

Cliff Harris is a climatologist who writes a weekly column for The Press. His opinions are his own. E-mail sfharris@roadrunner.com